Sparks Fly
by perfectromanceinmymind
Summary: Sam and Mercedes have a conversation in the auditorium following the "We are Young" performance in episode 3-8, 'Hold on to Sixteen.' One-shot.


"That sounded _great_, you guys!" Mr. Schuester praised as they backed out of the group hug. He looked around the circle as he spoke, meeting each of the kids' eyes in turn. "We've had a bit of a hard road this fall, but I think that's behind us now and I just have to say that it is _so_ good to see you guys all together. We are gonna _kill_ at Regionals!"

He laughed as the kids let loose with cheers, whoops and a 'hell yeah' from Puck before he held up a hand to quiet them down and get their attention again. "So I'll see you all tomorrow, choir room, right after school." There were nods and some 'yups' and then the group began to disperse, departing the auditorium in twos and threes.

Mercedes finished saying good-bye to Kurt, who had approached her with an apology for the distance that had built between them and a promise that they would work on bridging that gap – soon. She smiled as she waved good-bye to him & Finn and then glanced around the room, suddenly realizing she was the last one left.

Except she wasn't.

She turned to see Sam sitting on the far side of the stage, grinning at her, and she sighed.

"Good night, Sam," she said pleasantly but pointedly and turned to leave the room.

Sam made a face at her. "Really? You can't even be in the same room with me?"

"Lord," Mercedes muttered under her breath, shaking her head. "Of course I can. It just seems kinda pointless – we've both made ourselves clear. You want me back – I have a boyfriend."

Sam stood up and started walking towards her. "So we can't even be friends then?"

"Not if you're blatantly trying to make it more," Mercedes retorted.

Sam considered this for a moment. "Okay, fine. Pursuit on hold for now – can we at least talk for a few minutes?"

Mercedes laughed. "You are nothing if not persistent," she told him, giving in and taking a seat on the edge of the stage.

Sam grinned, sitting down beside her. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Mercedes just rolled her eyes and tried not to think about the shiver of excitement she had to suppress every time he got this near to her.

"Speaking of compliments," Sam continued, "Ya'll's performance was amazing." His voice softened slightly. "_You_ were amazing."

It wasn't fair, she thought. That tone in his voice, the things he said – he just _got_ to her. Made her feel feelings she knew she shouldn't be feeling. Mercedes glanced sideways at him as, unbidden, a song lyric popped into her head.

_You stood there in front of me, just close enough to touch – close enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking of…_

Country, of course. It was Sam. (Although, to be fair, Taylor Swift was such a crossover success it almost didn't count but whatever.) And it didn't matter anyway – no matter the genre, the line was right. Mercedes really hoped Sam couldn't tell what she was thinking, how every time she was this close to him now all she could think about was summer nights and coffee dates and hand holding and kisses – lots of kisses…

With a start, she realized he was still talking about sectionals and she shook her head, snapping out of her reverie.

He noticed – of course he did – and interrupted himself to say "Were you even listening to me?"

"Of course I was."

Sam smirked. "Yeah right."

"Shut up," she replied good-naturedly, swatting at his arm and then making her second mistake – letting her hand linger too long. He reached up and caught her hand in his.

"'Cedes, please," he said quietly before trailing off, not knowing what else to say.

Mercedes pulled her hand back and frowned. "You're breaking the friendship rules," she cautioned.

Sam didn't answer and she sighed. "I'm sorry. I –"

He shook his head. "Forget it. You're right, my bad." He stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I better get going, gotta work tonight."

She nodded. "I heard you got your pizza job back."

Sam nodded back. "Yeah. Well – I'll see you at rehearsal tomorrow."

Mercedes nodded again. She was starting to feel like one of those bobble-head dog things people put in the back of their cars. "Yup, tomorrow."

She turned towards the door and suddenly Sam's hand was on her arm, turning her back to face him.

"Mercedes – I know there's still something between us. I know you feel it too. And when you're ready to admit that, I'll be waiting for you." And before Mercedes could reply, he strode past her and out the door.


End file.
